#ccbmv

"Shit," Mick said, staring at his beer before taking a swig, thinking of Amaya. "Is that soon?"

"Our next mission is to Helsinki on February 10th in 2019," Leonard informed him. "Valentine's Day will be a few days later. I figure after we clean up this aberration we can get away for a few days. Get some alone time."

"Think Amaya would like this place you're going?" Mick asked. "Make it a - I can't believe I'm going to say this - couple's weekend?"

Leonard smirked at his old friend. Who would ever have thought that the two of them would be the ones in relationships? Upon his return from the time stream, he and Sara had had a long talk about what he had done; and what she had done just prior to the explosion. Not wanting to risk losing any more time, they had agreed to see what the future might hold for them. They'd been together ever since.

Upon his re-joining the team, one of the biggest surprises had been Mick's relationship with one of the new team members. Amaya understood Mick in a way that very few people did, aside from himself and Lisa. She was good for him, settling him in a way that Leonard hadn't been sure was possible. And Mick seemed to bring out a feistiness in Amaya that he was told hadn't been there when she'd first joined the crew.

"As long as she doesn't mind the cold, she'll be just fine," Leonard said.

Mick groaned. "Of course you'd pick somewhere cold to go for a romantic getaway."

"Just think of the possibilities," Leonard said. "Yes, we'll need to bundle up, but they have snowmobile rides, hot cocoa by a bonfire, and this place has glass igloos for watching the Northern Lights. Imagine lying there, Amaya in your arms as you watch the sky light up as if it was on fire."

Mick made an appreciative sound. "Okay, sign us up."

"I'll have Gideon get you a cabin near ours," Leonard said. "She's already got my reservation all set. Now I just need to tell Sara."

"You gonna tell her exactly what you have planned?" Mick asked, knowing the answer.

"Of course not," Leonard said. "Why ruin the surprise?"

~~*~~

Convincing Sara and Amaya to get away for a romantic getaway was remarkably easy. The rest of the team was happy to have a few days to explore Helsinki and wished them safe travels.

Leonard piloted the jump-ship north into the upper reaches of Lapland. The resort was deep in the Arctic Circle, right on the edge of the Urho Kekkonen National Park.

"Are those igloos?" Sara asked as they began to descend towards the resort.

"Glass igloos, yes," Leonard confirmed. "Perfect for viewing the Aurora Borealis. Although we'll be staying in those cabins," he said, gesturing to wood cabins with glass igloos attached at one end. "A bit more private."

"Hurry up and land already," Sara squealed excitedly.

"How did you find this place?" Amaya asked, just as excited by what she was seeing.

"I did some research when I heard when and where this latest mission was taking us. Gideon was helpful in finding this place."

"I'll have to be sure to thank her. Thank you for letting us tag along," Amaya said, reaching over to squeeze Mick's hand.

"What makes you think you weren't always part of the plan?" Leonard asked.

"Because people don't usually think about taking along their friends when planning a romantic getaway," Amaya countered. "It's okay."

"Woulda planned something for us, but his plans are usually better," Mick said.

Amaya simply leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Leonard smoothly landed the cloaked jump-ship at the edge of the parking area near some trees. Bundled up in the warm down coats Leonard insisted they all bring - he was already wearing his old blue parka – they gathered up their luggage and headed towards the reception building.

"Welcome to the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort," a woman greeted them.

"Snart and Rory, checking in," Leonard said, handing over the passports Gideon had fabricated for all of them.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Snart," the woman said, pulling up their reservations. "Your cabins are ready and have been stocked with firewood and cocoa as requested. Your safari leaves in a little over an hour, so you'll need to unpack quickly, but you'll have some time to relax before your dinner reservations in the West Village Aurora restaurant igloo bar. You're only staying the one night, correct?"

"I'm afraid we were only able to get away from our group for the night," Leonard said. "We couldn't pass up the opportunity to come here, though."

The receptionist smiled. "We are happy that you were able to join us. We are expecting a good light show tonight."

"That's what we were hoping to hear," Mick said.

"What safari are we going on?" Sara asked while the receptionist stepped away to get their keys.

"It's a Snowmobile Safari," Leonard said and smirked as Sara's face lit up in anticipation. Turning to Amaya, he said, "I wasn't sure if you'd enjoy riding on the snowmobiles, so you have the option of going on the Reindeer Safari and being pulled in a sled."

Amaya looked up at Mick and said without any hesitation, "We'll join you on the snowmobiles."

The receptionist returned and handed the room keys and maps of the resort to Leonard and Mick. "There is a sleigh outside to take you, and your luggage, to your cabins. Meet back here ten minutes before your safari is scheduled to depart."

They thanked her and headed out into the cold to go to their cabins. The ride was short and soon the couples were walking around their cabins in awe. Rather, the ladies were, while the men watched their reactions.

The cabin was mostly one large room, with the bathroom in a small area behind the queen sized bed that was made from the same kelo logs as the cabin. There were logs prepped in the fireplace in the corner, but it was not currently lit. Across from the bed, the cabin opened into a glass igloo.

Sara was drawn to the bright space and Leonard trailed after her. She slid an arm around his waist when he reached her side.

"This place is amazing," she said, turning her face up to look at him.

"Not as amazing as you," Leonard said.

Sara bit her lip in an attempt to hold in her giggle. "That was terrible," she said as the laughter finally bubbled out of her.

"Perhaps, but it's also true," Leonard said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. Sara leaned in and met him in a slow kiss.

"I wish we didn't have to go out right now," Sara groaned when they parted.

"Do you want me to cancel?" Leonard asked.

"No, I want to see more of this place," Sara said, stepping back. "I'm going to go put on another layer or two. Now I know why you had Gideon make fleece lined jeans and long underwear."

"I hate watching you put on more clothes," Leonard said, settling into the rocking chair by the fireplace.

"Just think of how much fun it'll be getting me out of them later," Sara said with a wink.

"I think the word you were looking for is 'frustrating'," Leonard said.

Sara laughed and stripped out of her regular black jeans and pulled on the thick leggings before slipping into the fleece lined jeans and layered a wool sweater over her long-sleeved shirt. She pulled on an extra pair of socks while she was at it.

"You don't need any more layers?" she asked as Leonard sat and watched her.

"Already wearing them," he said. "I knew what was coming, after all."

"True." Sara slipped into his lap and kissed him.

Before they could lose themselves in the kiss, there was a knock on the door. Reluctantly, Sara stood and opened it to let in Mick and Amaya.

"These cabins are gorgeous," Amaya said.

Sara nodded in agreement as she wrapped a scarf around her neck before pulling on her heavy coat and a hat. Leonard added a hat to what he was wearing and they were ready to go.

The safari was exhilarating, if cold. Their guide did point out that it didn't feel as cold as it would if they were in the Midwestern United States, as the air was dry and there was no wind, aside from what was generated by the snowmobiles.

That didn't stop Mick from complaining about the cold the entire time that they were stopped for lunch. Perhaps it was a bit odd having an outdoor lunch in the snow, but Mick calmed down a bit as he watched their meals being cooked over the open fire. Amaya whispering in his ear about how she'd warm him up when they got back to their cabin did the rest.

Leonard and Sara happily snuggled together under blankets as they ate their meal, enjoying the beauty of the snowy forest.

On the return ride, they switched drivers. While Leonard and Mick had done the driving in the morning, Sara and Amaya took over for the return trip. Sara had always enjoyed riding motorcycles and was just as comfortable on the larger machine, whereas it took Amaya a little while to get the hang of it. She was determined to do it though, and soon she was shouting out her joy right along with Sara.

After they dropped off the snowmobiles, the two couples bid each other farewell and separated until it was time to meet for dinner.

There was a fire going in the cabin's fireplace by the time they returned to it. Leonard prepared two mugs of hot cocoa for them and they settled on the small sofa in the room. They sat watching the flames as the sky grew darker as the sun set in the late afternoon.

"What time do we have to be at the restaurant?" Sara asked, setting her empty mug on the table in front of them.

"Our reservation is for seven," Leonard said. "Did you want to go back out? They have skiing and snowboarding if you're interested."

"You ski or snowboard?" Sara questioned, eyebrow cocked.

"No, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't watch you if you wanted to," Leonard said.

Sara pretended to think about it for a minute before straddling Leonard. "I think I'd rather stay in here. What do you say we make use of the sauna in the bathroom to really warm up?"

"You know that I prefer the cold," Leonard half-heartedly objected.

"You brought me to the Arctic Circle for a romantic getaway," Sara said. "I think I got that memo." She ran her hands down his chest and under his shirts, her fingernails scratching against his stomach. "I promise to make it worth your while."

Leonard's fingers flexed on her hips and he groaned in approval. "You win."

After working up a sweat in the sauna, they shared a shower and then began to get dressed for dinner.

Sara wore black slacks and a warm red sweater over a black shirt. She left her hair down, but took the time to curl it.

When she emerged from the bathroom after finishing her hair and makeup, she whistled upon seeing Leonard in his black suit and dark blue dress shirt.

He smirked, running his eyes appreciatively over Sara's body. "I could say the same about you," he purred.

"Maybe we should just stay in tonight," Sara suggested.

"And deny the rest of the people at the resort a chance to see how good we look?" Leonard asked.

Sara looked him over again and licked her lips. "You're right; I need to show you off."

"Before we go…" Leonard pulled a velvet case from the inside pocket of his jacket. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Is it Valentine's Day?" Sara asked, her eyes widening upon seeing the jewelry case. Luckily it was too big to be for a ring. "I hadn't realized."

"Locally, it's February fourteenth," Leonard said.

"I didn't get you anything," Sara apologized, hesitantly reaching for the proffered gift.

"Not a requirement for accepting this," Leonard assured her.

Sara lifted the lid of the case and smiled. It was a snowflake comprised of opals hanging from a delicate silver chain.

"You trying to brand me as your girl," Sara teased despite the tears in her eyes. "Show the world I'm taken?"

"Not when you make me sound like a Neanderthal," Leonard pouted. "Do you not like it?"

"I love it," Sara said, lifting the necklace from the case. She held it out to him. "Put it on me?" She turned and lifted her hair so that Leonard could fasten it around her neck. Once it was secure, she ran to the mirror to look. It hung a couple of inches below the necklace from Laurel and complimented it perfectly.

Leonard stepped behind her and smiled at her reflection. "Beautiful."

"Thank you," Sara said, spinning around to kiss him. "It's perfect."

"Let's go get Mick and Amaya," Leonard suggested.

They bundled up and headed to the cabin next to theirs and knocked on the door. Amaya opened it with a similar expression that Sara had been wearing moments ago.

"Your timing sucks," Mick grumbled in greeting.

Sara noticed that Amaya kept looking down at her wrist, which was adorned with a bracelet that looked like amber flames encircling her wrist.

"It's beautiful," Sara earnestly said. She pulled her coat open to show off the necklace she'd just received. "Leonard gave me this."

"We did good," Mick quietly said to Leonard as the women admired each other's jewelry.

"That we did," Leonard agreed, meaning more than just the gifts.

As the group stepped outside, they had to pause and look up, awed by the colors lighting up the sky.

"Astonishing," Sara murmured.

"Fantastic," Mick agreed.

"Remarkable," Leonard added.

Then they burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Amaya asked.

"Those are all words that Martin used every time we did something new when we first started traveling on the Waverider," Sara explained. "Guess now we know why he used those words so often."

"They are all very fitting," Amaya agreed.

Their reservations were inside a glass igloo attached to one of the restaurants, so they were able to admire the colorful sky as they enjoyed the Lappish cuisine. They savored their appetizer sampler plate before trying Reindeer fillets for their main course, followed by Lingonberry Mousse for dessert. They enjoyed local wines and beers throughout the meal.

As much as they enjoyed the company and the food, each couple was eager to return to their own cabin.

Upon shedding their outer gear, Sara dragged Leonard to their glass igloo. They slid under the blanket on the large cot and Sara snuggled into Leonard's side, her head resting against his shoulder as they looked up at the lights dancing across the sky.

"I've never seen anything like this before," Sara whispered. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Neither have I," Leonard said, watching as green, blue, and purple lights danced across the sky above them. "And you're welcome. I'm glad you wanted to come."

"I'll always want to go away with you," Sara admitted, rolling onto her side to look at him. "You have to know that by now. I'm never taking the chance of losing you again. You're stuck with me."

"That is something that I will never complain about," Leonard promised her. "I don't want to be separated from you again, either."

Leonard leaned up until he could meet Sara in a kiss full of the rest of the promises they couldn't give voice to. At least, not yet.

But there was time for that.

I never felt magic crazy as this I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea I never held emotion in the palm of my hand Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree But now you're here Brighten my northern sky. -- Northern Sky by Nick Drake

The End

“It wasn’t really planned,” Leonard grumbled, shedding the coat that had given him some protection when the downpour had started while making his way to the counter. “There a phone here?”

The man behind the counter (Nate, according to his nametag) pointed over to the wall, where the phone was. Leonard gave him a short nod and crossed over to it. Inserting a few coins, he dialed Lisa’s number, waiting for her to pick up.

After a few rings, she picked up. “Hello?”

“Lisa, it’s me.”

There was some muttering in the background, followed by Lisa shushing someone. Her boyfriend was probably over at her place. “Lenny? Where are you?”

Leonard glanced at a menu. “Waverider Diner. My car broke down and my phone died, so I had to hike to go find one.”

“I told you something was going to happen to your car. Cisco’s never wrong.”

“I don’t care how many times he’s right,” Leonard groaned. “Lisa, he’s not psychic.”

“Tell that to all the things he’s predicted correctly. It’s not luck, Lenny.”

He sighed. “Lisa, do you think you can come pick me up?”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” his sister replied. “I’ll look up where this diner is, and I’ll be on my way.”

“Thanks, sis,” he said before hanging up.

               Sara watched as the man who had entered the diner hung up the phone and made his way over the counter where she was. He left a seat in between them as he sat down. She had been surprised when he first came into the diner, given that Nate had told her things had been slow due to the storm that had been going on for most of the day. Had she not been old friends with Nate, she probably would have kept on driving home to Central City too. But every time she passed by the Waverider Diner, she always made a visit to him.

“How’s the coffee here?” the man asked, the question directed to both Nate and herself.

“Pretty good actually,” Sara told him, drawing his attention towards her. “At least, I like it. Whatever the case, it’s better than what my roommate once made.”

The man smirked a little and ordered a cup of coffee from Nate. Her friend went over to the coffeemaker as the man turned back to Sara.

“How bad was the coffee your roommate made?” he asked.

“Thick as mud and didn’t taste much better,” Sara shuddered at the memory. “I don’t know how she did it. After trying it, I couldn’t touch a cup for a few years. When Nate gave me a cup of his, I started drinking it again.”

He laughed a little as Nate set the cup in front of him before paying for it. “Good or not, I’ll take anything warm after being in that rain.”

“Your car broke down, right?” Sara asked, getting a slight frown out of the man. “I heard you on the phone.”

“It did,” the man sighed. “I’ve been having trouble with it lately, and I was hoping to make it back to Central. Instead, it decides to give out on me, and then my phone decided to follow that pattern.”

“Ouch,” Sara grimaced. “Well, at least it didn’t break down earlier. You would have had a longer walk.”

“That’s a very good point, Ms…”

“Lance,” Sara supplied. “Sara Lance.”

He nodded. “Leonard Snart.”

“Nice to meet you, Leonard,” she smiled. “So, where were you going before your car quit?”

“Central City,” Leonard told her. “I was on my way home from a research trip in Starling. How about you?”

“Also heading back to Central from Starling, except I was visiting my sister,” she explained. “She and her husband just had a baby, and I decided to use some vacation days to see them. Every time I go between Central and Starling, I always stop here. Nate’s an old friend of mine, and the stuff here’s pretty good.”

“Good to know the next time I head to Starling,” Leonard murmured thoughtfully. “Which could happen again soon depending on how my research holds up.”

“What were you researching up there anyways?” Sara asked.

“Some of the records of the city,” he told her. “I’ve been working on a book.”

“Are you writing about the Undertaking?” she inquired. The earthquake that had quite literally rocked Starling City had only happened a few years back. It would make sense if people were starting to write books about it instead of opinion pieces in newspapers.

However, Leonard shook his head. “It’s more obscure than that. If you didn’t know, then I wouldn’t blame you. I didn’t even know about it until last year when someone I met shared their story about it with me.”

“I spent my childhood in Starling City,” Sara smirked. “Try me?”

He smirked and took a sip of his coffee. “Ever heard of the legend of the Hawks?”

Sara raised her eyebrows. “The bird people that apparently live in the Glades?”

“There’ve been a lot of thoughts on them, if they even exist or not. I’ve been looking up every theory I can about them and the evidence that has been provided to support it. Let the reader decide what they really are.”

“And what do you think they are?” Sara asked, tilting her head at him. “You might be the one collecting all of this research, but there has to be some kind of explanation you lean towards most.”

There was a long pause before he finally shook his head and sighed. “I think they exist. After all, there are metahumans in Central City, although there have been sightings of them before the disaster at STAR Labs even happened. Gun to my head, I’d say that they’re the result of some sort of mutation. Although one theory that I highly doubt is plausible is the reincarnation one.”

“Well, I always thought they were an urban legend of the Glades,” Sara shrugged. “Although some people have come to the paper claiming they have a story about them stopping crime in Central City.

“You work for the newspaper?” Leonard raised his eyebrows.

“I do,” she nodded. “Not a headliner. Maybe one day though I might make the front page. But I’m not stealing your Hawk story. Not unless they are seen in public and I get assigned to that story.”

               Lightning flashed outside of the diner. A crash of thunder followed almost instantly, making the walls of the Waverider Diner shake. A moment later, the lights blinked out. Still, Sara could see Leonard in front of her with the minimal light that made it through the windows.

“Dammit.”

Both Sara and Leonard turned towards Nate. Sara had forgotten that he had still been there. The man dropped below the counter, muttering something about how he was sure he had put a flashlight down here once. When he popped back up, he wasn’t holding a flashlight, but a few candles.

“Forgot these were down here,” he admitted. “These will have to do for now.”

He lit a candle to place in between them and started working on the others. As he moved away from them, Sara turned back to Leonard, noticing that he was smirking.

“What?” she frowned as he started to chuckle.

“Not the way I expected February 14 to be going,” Leonard replied. “But I don’t mind the way that it’s going now.”

“Well, you’re not the only one,” Sara agreed, letting herself smile as lightning briefly illuminated the diner again before sending them back into candlelight.

               Time went by quickly for them. Sara and Leonard talked some more before retreating to a booth by one of the windows to play cards with the slightly damp deck that Leonard had with him. Nate joined in with them for one round, but lost quickly and told them he was going to retreat to check and see if there was something he could do about finding more candles. He didn’t come back though, leaving Sara and Leonard to continue their discussions and games.

               After about three hours, the rain had only let up slightly and the lights were still out. A pair of headlights shined into the diner, making Sara and Leonard look up. Leonard could see that it was Lisa’s vehicle and set down his cards. A losing hand of cards, the queen of hearts responsible. Sara set hers down, and he could see that she had been close to beating him again.

“Guess I’m off,” he sighed, collecting the cards and standing up.

Sara scooted out of the booth herself and stretched. “I should get going too.”

Leonard looked over at her. “You never had to stay.”

“I wanted to,” she replied.

               Before he could say anything else, she grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and a pen from her purse. He watched as she scrawled down a series of numbers before passing the napkin to him.

“Look me up when you get back to Central City,” she told him.

“Only if you do the same,” Leonard said as he grabbed another napkin and put his own phone number down.

She took the napkin from him. “It’s a deal. See you around, Leonard.”

“Goodbye, Sara,” he nodded as he tucked the napkin in his pocket to prevent it from getting wet.

Leonard grabbed his coat and left the diner, the rain pelting his face immediately. It was cold and harsh after spending three hours drying off. He hurried over to Lisa’s car and got inside before he could get soaked again. As Lisa drove away from the Waverider, Leonard looked back to see Sara leaving the diner for her own car.

A few days later, Sara met Leonard for lunch in Central City.

Within a few months, they moved into an apartment together.

Two years later, they were back at the Waverider Diner when Leonard proposed to Sara.

Another note: This is a “deleted” scene from chapter 9 of “Central City Rendezvous,” which you can read starting here. That story is up for best WIP for the @captaincanaryawards, should you feel inclined to vote for the any of the stories! 

Leonard’s not sure what time it is when they both emerge from a sated and contented sleep. He only knows that when he opens his eyes, Sara’s bright blue ones are smiling up at him.

It is, he thinks, by far the best way he’s ever woken up.

But that’s still a little too…too…for where they are, even given the events of the past day, and so he doesn’t say it. He reaches for the smallest, most fragile piece of his habitual armor, and puts it on, smirking at her as she yawns.

“Hey,” she says quietly. “Sleep well?”

"Mmhm. You?”

“Yeah.” A look from underneath lowered lashes. “You wore me out.”

The thought makes him snort. Sara Lance, in bed as in other ways, has seemed rather…indefatigable. “Right. Sure, I believe that.”

Sara grins, then. “You’d better.” She stretches, arms over her head, lean, muscled body pressed briefly against him again, then sighs. “You hungry?”

He’s trying to figure out whether she’s sincere or leading him into another double entendre when she seems to read his mind, and promptly pokes him in the ribs.

“I’m serious. You need to keep up your strength.” Now, she waggles her eyebrows at him, drawing an actual laugh. “And so do I. Need to hydrate too. Want me to go get something? Breakfast in bed?”

 He sighed as Lisa excitedly got off the plane while talking about everything she wanted to visit and see as they walked towards baggage claim to get their bags. He nodded along at her excited words, trying to block them out and make sure that the bags they got were theirs when he spotted familiar blonde hair on the other side of the airport.

“Sara,” he thought as he dropped the bag on the floor and ran to catch up to her, he put his hand on the blonde’s shoulder and was disappointed when she turned around only for him to see confused brown eyes instead of the gorgeous blue ones that he used to love staring at.

 “Oh sorry,” he said as he turned to walk back to where his sister was waiting, no doubt with a scowl on her face.

 “Lenny, thank God,” Lisa grumbled as he returned to where she was standing and struggling with lifting the bags from the machine. “Where did you go?”

 “Nowhere,” he said with a blush on his face as he recalled his mistake earlier.

 “Nowhere?” Lisa questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t think I didn’t hear you say Sara’s name. Really, Lenny?”

 “What?” Len asked defensively.

 “It’s been four years, Lenny,” Lisa replied with a sad tone in her voice. “And you’re still not over her.”

 “I am,” he insisted.

 “Really?” Lisa asked softly. “Because what just happened really isn’t good evidence for that.”

“Let’s just, let’s just go,” Len insisted as he walked faster to the terminal exit.

 “Sure, but this conversation isn’t finished,” Lisa insisted as she walked next to him to the terminal exit and raised her hand to hail the cab that was about to speed past them.

The conversation was done, at least for now, and that was enough for him. He sighed and put the bags in the trunk of the cab, got inside, and leaned his head against the window. He was so tired of everything and these feelings that he may still have for his ex.

 He had met Sara Lance during his last year of college and fallen for her six months after meeting her. Their relationship had been a whirlwind that had taken him by surprise. Sara had been a third year majoring in medicine while he had been majoring in international relations (which had been ironic considering he absolutely hated politics and everything that it stood for).

He had met her after accidentally running into her one day after leaving the library. He had been carrying a stack of books in his hands, completely focused on not running into anything or anyone when, just his luck, he accidentally trips and body slams into someone, causing Leonard, the books in his arms, and the person he ran into to fall to the floor.

He had gotten up and was about to apologize to the person but when he turned to her he had been stunned speechless by the laugh that she let out, blue eyes shining with mirth at their predicament and he couldn’t help but join in. They must have looked like crazy people standing there right outside of the library laughing their asses off but, in that moment, they could care less about what anyone thought, they were lost in their own little world.

"I'm so sorry," Len had said with a blush after they had gotten themselves under control and stopped laughing.

“It’s fine,” she had said still with a smile on her face and then held out her hand. “I’m Sara, Sara Lance.”

“I’m Leonard, Leonard Snart but you can call me Len,” he had replied with a laugh.

"Well, there goes my coffee,” she had said as he looked down and saw the spilled latte on the floor. “And your mountain of books, too.”

 As they both leaned down to pick up some of the books, Sara asked, “Hey want to go out for coffee after you’ve finished reading this entire mountain of books?”

“Sure,” Len had replied and coffee had lead to the start of a  beautiful friendship and love story. They had been friends for almost a year when he had asked her out on a date. He would never forget her response of, “Finally! I thought you were never going to ask.”

He had been so happy. When they started going out things were great; they went on a date and she kissed him first (they liked to tell everyone that he kissed her first but no one really believed them), she had even met his sister and he had met her sister and had gotten along great with her.

He and Sara had spent Christmas and New Year's together, kissing under the mistletoe and watching the fireworks together. And he could swear that he would never love anyone the way he loved her. He had told her that when they were lying in bed together and he had expected her to reply with the same thing but all she had done was smile and kiss him.

He should have taken that as a warning, really, because he had learned a long time ago that things never stayed this good. More specifically, every time he was happy and content things went to shit.

 Everything going to shit began after he had graduated and started his new job at one of the most prestigious firms in Central City. He had chosen to stay there because Sara had still been in college and he had wanted to stay near her, so he had gotten an apartment near the university and by then Lisa had been in her first year of university.

 Then things had started getting out of hand. Sara had apparently discovered the joys of partying, spending almost every night in a bar with friends and dancing the night away. It had created arguments between them that were forgotten about, arguments which began to pile up again and again. It had lead to one of their biggest fights yet and she had left. He had waited up for her after their fight planning to cook her a romantic dinner or surprise her with breakfast but when he had gotten home the day after from work, he had noticed all of her things missing and hangers on the floor.

 He had called her phone only to get a message saying, “Your call cannot be connected“. He had tried her sister and even gone to her dorm but all her friends had no idea where she had gone. He had been stunned and unable to process anything. Later, when he had been able to think clearly again, he had called Laurel again only for her to tell him that Sara had quit university and no one knew where she was; not even their parents.

 He had lost it then, had grabbed everything that reminded him of Sara and thrown it against the wall. Picture frames shattered into a thousand pieces and the pictures in them fluttered to the ground in a million pieces. Clothes she left behind had been put in boxes and he had never gotten more drunk in his entire life than the month that she had left him.

It had taken Lisa coming home from college with a resigned and tired look on her face during the second month and throwing away all the bottles that had littered the floor to get him out of his funk and get him to start eating again. She had sat down on his couch after she had cleaned everything out and hugged him, begging him to please get out of this funk because she still needed him and that he was all she had.

He had hugged her back and promised to do better, vowing to himself that he would forget about Sara and move on. He had showered and the next day gone to work; he spent the next four years throwing himself into work. He had tried to go on dates but they had never been successful because they were either not Sara or too much like Sara, he always found flaws for them that resulted in them never going past a first date or a one night stand.

After four years, he had admitted to himself that no one would ever hold a candle to how he felt about Sara. He still loved her and he didn’t know how to feel about that. She had hurt him by leaving and yet he didn’t know what he would do if he ever saw her again, whether he would kiss her or glare, he guessed that particular question would never be answered.

 On the seventh day of their stay in Paris, Len found himself alone. Lisa had met a man named Cisco Ramon in one of the cafes two days ago and needless to say, she was infatuated, choosing to change her itinerary so she could tour the country with him instead. This had left Len alone to tour the city by himself, something which he was unexpectedly happy about because it gave him the chance to be alone and decide which places he wanted to go to.

Today he had decided he decided to go to the Louvre, one of the most popular museums in Paris. He loved museums, loved seeing the pieces of art by various artists. His first stop was the Denan Wing where he was enticed with the portrait of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, he loved the painting especially the intricate part of it as well the use of dark colors instead of the usual bright colors of blue, yellow or red.

 He walked around the building for almost four hours just looking at the art pieces and ended up in the Richelieu Wing. He was particularly fascinated with the sculpture of the horses of Marly which were large marble statues that were created in the 18th century. He also loved the Napoleon IIII apartments; he loved the color of them and how much they resembled what the history books said.

He bought coffee and was about to go to another wing when he bumped into someone. He grimaced as hot coffee dripped along his fingers and to the floor. He looked up to apologize and saw the last person that he had expected to see in Paris. It was Sara, she still looked as gorgeous as the day that he had met her, blonde hair in a messy top bun and wearing a brown leather jacket over a white shirt and jeans. Nothing about her had changed.

He felt the wind knocked out of him as she looked up, he saw the look in her eyes change the minute she realized it was him, a sad smile appeared on her face before she quickly wrapped her arms around him. His arms flailed at his sides; he had no idea whether he should wrap his arms around her or just leave them there, seeing no other option that wouldn’t look awkward he decided to reciprocate and wrap his arms around her in return.

He really shouldn’t have because she still smelled the same as she did before, Sara had always preferred a frosted apple scent (which was ironic because it had a sweet smell but Sara, he had decided during his relationship with her, was anything but sweet, no he decided she was deadly and enticing) that engulfed his senses and took him back to their college days and reminded him of days spent lounging in bed with her and doing nothing but kissing and being happy just because they could. It reminds him of times when they used to take drives up the coast to just watch the sunset and all he would do then was stare at her just sitting on the hood of the car staring at the sky with the sunlight hitting her face, looking gorgeous.

 “How are you?” Sara asked hesitantly as she pulled away from him.

“I’m good, I’m here with Lisa actually,” he replied with a strained smile on his face. He wants to get out of there, wants to forget about this meeting and seeing her again, wants to put a stop to the way that his heart sped up when she had smiled and hugged him, wants to shower and scrub away the feeling of her hands on his body and the feelings and memories that they bring up.

"Here," Sara said as she handed him a piece of paper with what he guessed is her number. “I have to go but let’s do coffee sometime; it’d be good to catch up.”

She looks up at him so eagerly and so earnestly that he doesn’t want to disappoint her. That’s always been one of his problems; ever since the day he met her he has found it difficult to resist and disappoint her. So he took the piece of paper that she’s written her number on and tears off a piece, grabs the pen from her and writes his number in it.

“Call me or maybe I’ll call you;” he says as he leaves. He tries to walk normally but even he knows that he performs some kind of sprint as he nears the exit of the museum wing.

 He becomes a mess the minute he returns to his hotel, out of breath and still reeling from his encounter with Sara. It feels like his chest and head were about to explode in pain and an endless amount of questions keep streaming through his mind: Why had she left him, Was it because she didn’t love him enough? Is she going to call? The most important question to him is: “What is he going to do if she calls, is he going to ignore it or answer it?”

 He has so many questions going through his brain that he was starting to get a migraine, he tried to turn his mind off so that he could take some form of a nap but that only lasted for two hours before he decided that the best thing to do was stare at the ceiling. His staring at the ceiling was interrupted by the sound of a phone. He quickly got up and saw Sara’s number on the screen. He scrambled to grab the phone and stared at it for almost a minute frozen in fear before he took a deep breath and hit accept.

 “Hey,” a soft voice said as he answered the phone. “It’s Sara.”

 “I know," he breathed softly into the phone.

 “Right," Sara said as she cleared her throat. “So do you want to meet for coffee or dinner tomorrow maybe?”

 “Yeah, dinner sounds fine. Where?” Len said reluctantly.

 “Um, how about Le Cinq, it’s this really good restaurant; definitely one of my favorites here in Paris. It has some of the best lobsters and truffles ever," Sara said excitedly as she told him of the restaurant.

 After confirming the meeting place and the time, Len hung up and nose dived into the bed feeling nervous and second guessing his decision. Was he making the right decision deciding to accept Sara’s offer to have coffee and lunch because he wasn’t so sure.

 He sighed and closed his eyes because maybe meeting her tomorrow would help him move on from her. He was hoping that she would be able to answer his questions especially the one that had been plaguing his mind since the moment she had left him four years ago. He didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow or whether he would get all his questions answered but all he could hope for was that everything would go smoothly.

 He enters the restaurant, palms sweating and heart beating as he sees her sitting at one of the tables, carefully looking at the menu, He feels his heart speed up when she raised her head and smiled at him as he walked to her. She stood up and just like yesterday wrapped her arms around him before quickly pulling away. He sat down on the table and looked at the menu.

“So you said the lobster was good?” Len asked with a quirked eyebrow.

 “Yup” Sara replied.

 “Maybe that and some pasta and wine?” Len asked her.

 “Yeah,” she replied with a small smile. “That sounds good.”

 He nodded and turned back to the menu to look at their pasta selection and when he raised his head up after deciding on which pasta he saw Sara opening her mouth to speak again before she was interrupted by the waiter who had arrived to take their order. They had decided to order the lobster and for the pasta he had decided on the spaghetti Bolognese along with some wine.

 “So how have you been?” she asked as the waiter left with a quick smile in their direction and both their menu’s on his hands.

 "I've been fine; I'm the mayor of Central City now," he said proudly.

 "I know," Sara said with a smile and a proud look in her eyes. "Laurel told me when I called her last year, I'm so proud of you; I knew you would get far.”

“Yeah?” Len asked with a smile on his face.

 “Yup,” she replied with a grin on her face.

 They had no more time to talk as after a good 15 minutes the waiter arrived and put their food down in front of them. His eyes went wide when he saw the giant lobster and the plate full of pasta with a plate of salad on the other side. He gulped and heard Sara do the same.

 “That is one big ass lobster," Sara said as she glanced at the lobster with wide eyes.

 “And a lot of food,” Len continued as he stared at everything on the table. “Will we be able to finish this?”

 "Probably not," Sara remarked as she let out a snort. "This is just like the time when we went to that place in Star City, you know the one that served the most humongous steak.”

“Yeah, but that place didn’t have servings this big,” Len countered. He had missed this, when they had been together they bantered about everything from where they were going for the day to what they were going to eat. He had always let her win, helpless to resist the pout that would form on her face.

 “It was good, though," she affirmed.

 “You absolutely hated the sauce with chili, though, I think that was when your hatred for anything spicy or with chili in it started.” Len laughed as Sara’s face turned red.

 “It did not and I don’t hate it.” Sara pouted, face still as red as a tomato.

 “Oh really?” Len asked with a smile. “Is that why every time we went out I was the one who had to eat every serving of spicy food on both our plates, Ms. Lance?”

Sara put her head on her folded arms, he could see that she was smiling and laughing beneath it though. He loved it when she was shy and happy because she was absolutely adorable like this.

 “Shut up,” she replied with a pout.

 "Fine," Len said with a smile on his face. "We should start eating though, otherwise, we'll be here 'til December."

 Sara shook her head at him and laughed at his words before reaching for a knife at the same time as he did. Their hands touched and he felt electricity go through his body before he quickly pulled his hand away and gave her the knife.

 There was silence throughout the rest of the meal but it wasn’t awkward nor did he feel uncomfortable; it felt like something two friends would do if the two friends hadn’t seen each other naked and one of them wasn’t still madly in love with the other, that is. He did notice Sara shooting him looks throughout dinner, though, he didn't know why she did that and not knowing made him uncomfortable.

 After dinner, they decided to walk the streets near the restaurant, the night sky lights up as they near the middle of the Seine River. The river is beautiful but not as gorgeous as Sara, who looks like an angel when the moonlight hits her, her blue eyes shine and sparkle as the moonlight hits her cheeks.

"So how long are you here for?" Sara asked hopefully. (He thought that maybe she was hoping that he'd say that he was there to stay for a month, or a year, but he doesn't know this Sara. He has become so unfamiliar with her mannerisms, yet he sees aspects of her that reminded him of who she was before………everything.)

 “I’m here for five weeks. It was a present to Lisa; she’s been begging to come here since the start of the year. We arrived seven days ago,” Len said.

 “It was inevitable wasn’t it?” Sara asked sadly.

 “Us meeting again?” Len questioned with a raised eyebrow.

 "Yeah," Sara replied with a smile.

 “I guess we're just inventible," Len said with a shrug. "So what did you do after we broke up?”

 “Um, after we broke up I drifted around for a bit; you know took a road trip, took odd jobs here and there," Sara said.

 Len looks at her disbelievingly. She had left him to take a road trip and be a nomad. If that had been all she wanted to do he could have come with her. He would have followed her to the ends of the earth if he'd had to.

 “Is that why you didn’t come back after the fight?” Len asks as he takes a deep breath to ask the question; the question that hadn’t left his mind since the day he had woken up all those years ago. “To take a road trip?”

 “I didn’t come back because you deserved so much better than what I had to offer you, Len. I mean, do you remember me back then? I partied every night and I was never serious about med school; the only reason I even agreed to it was because I was expected to choose a career. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do with my life. I was just cruising through life and you, you knew what you wanted to do, you had everything planned from the minute you graduated,” Sara pointed out.

 “I was willing to let go of those plans for you,” he pointed out to her.

 “I know and that’s why I didn’t come back; I couldn't let you do that for me, Len, you had a sister to take care of and besides this has been your dream since you started school again. I have made many mistakes in my life but not coming back after the fight was not one of them,” Sara says firmly.

 “If you don’t regret it then why are we here?” he asks as he steps forward. He was in her space for the first time in 4 four years and he couldn't breathe, his chest feels like It was going to explode.

 “We’re friends, I just wanted to catch up with you and I really missed you,” she says as she stares deep into his eyes.

 “So how long are you here for?” he asks. He wonders whether she had decided to move here. He remembers that she used to talk about her desire to move somewhere peaceful; he used to joke that she would end up living the two kids and white picket fence lifestyle just like everybody dreamed of but she had shaken her head at him then and told him she was too cool to live that kind of lifestyle.

 She had a desire for adrenaline and adventure and no matter how many times he joked about it, he would never in a million years be able to imagine her living in a house with a white picket fence.

 “I’m here for eight weeks, I arrived four weeks ago but I’m here for a conference for work. I work with different organizations to stop violence against women and I teach martial arts for women and kids as a part time job,” Sara explained. “I moved to Boston after I finished traveling and started taking classes for martial arts and helping out at the women’s shelter. I decided that that was what I wanted to do and started taking a course for counseling and here we are."

“Why choose that career?” Len asked curiously.

He wasn’t really surprised that this was the career she had decided to get into because when they had been dating she had loved to help people. And while he knew that there were many careers that would allow her to do that but there would have been a big problem as Sara didn’t like taking orders from anyone and had a very strong personality which more often than not got her into big trouble as it often lead her to start fights with other people.

 During their relationship he had always found it hard to believe that Sara had decided to take a career in medicine because from what he had known of her personality, her being a free spirit and being very adventurous a career in medicine was too controlled for her and having to work with other doctors who would tell her what to do would have driven her insane. A career helping women and teaching martial arts for kids on the other hand was something that he thought was perfect for Sara.

"No woman should ever suffer at the hands of men," Sara said in a firm voice. The words sounded like a mantra that she had been repeating and one he understood well. He had grown up with an abusive drunk for a father who would target his mother and his sister because he felt like it, he could understand why Sara had that mantra.

Growing up, Len had tried to take the hits for his mother and sister but it was never enough for Lewis, it seemed like he took joy in hitting Lisa and his mother. They had gotten out and his father had been put in jail but his mother, it turned out, had had cancer and had succumbed to her disease when Len had been eight, leaving Len to raise Lisa by himself.

 They had been put into foster home after foster home with the system trying to separate them but it had never succeeded and Len had had to learn how to defend not only himself but his sister as well from other abusive foster parents. When he had turned eighteen the first thing he had done was take custody of Lisa and made sure to raise her correctly.

 "I'm proud of you," Len said with a smile. "I always knew you would go into a career that had to do with helping people.”

 “Yeah?” Sara asked him hopefully.

 “Yeah, I always knew you would make something out of yourself and medical school just wasn’t right for you.” He added firmly.

 “What do you mean?” she asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.

 "I always thought that going into medicine might be a little too constricting for you. You love adventure and thrive on adrenaline; you in a controlled environment with patients and nurses would have driven you nuts," Len answered before letting out a small laugh.

Sara laughed along with him before she put her arm through his and they continued to walk in silence. Before long it was time for him to return to his hotel room.

 “I know this is unlikely. But hear me out first,” Sara began. “Since you and I are both in Paris for the month and we really have no idea which sites to see, do you want to maybe tour the city together?”

“I’ll think about it because I was thinking of going to other cities besides Paris while here. Besides, didn’t you say you were here for work?” Len said.

 “Oh ok. My last conference finished yesterday so I’m free to go wherever I want before going back to Boston,” Sara explained sadly as they separated outside his hotel.

He went inside and spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about her offer. He would be able to see her and at the same time be able to see the city. (He may have had an ulterior motive of wanting to see the city and travel when he had agreed to go to Paris, but Lisa didn't need to know that.)

He would be alone for the rest of the trip since Lisa had told him that she was spending the rest of trip with Cisco, insisting that she would meet Len when they were due to leave the city together and until then Len was free to go wherever he wanted and with whomever he wanted.

  He woke up early the next morning and showered, planning to walk the streets to find a suitable breakfast café to eat at. He had decided to walk back to the Louvre today, wanting to see more of the artwork and the other wings in the museum, but when he gets outside he sees Sara looking gorgeous and leaning against what he assumes is a rental car.

 “What are you doing here?” he asked as he jogged towards her.

 “I know you said that you wanted to travel to other places while here and I asked around,” she began as she took out a map with markings of red pen on it. “These places are some of the best places to go to and if we have time we can go to St.Tropez. What do you say?"

 She looks so hopeful that he can’t say anything but, “Yes”.

They go inside to get him some breakfast and then get into the car and with a whoosh they were off. He takes the map from her and they both decide to go to the Notre Dame De Paris, or as it was more commonly known the Notre Dame Cathedral, first, Neither of them was religious but according to the guide this was one of the most beautiful places to go to, second on the list to the Eiffel Tower, which they had decided to go to on the last day of their time together.

 The Notre Dame Cathedral is beautiful; the moment they step inside they feel a sense of tranquility and calm warm over them. The inside of the cathedral is lined with rows and rows of chairs and the side windows are lined with stained glass windows with the sides of the church being supported by statues which acted as columns supports and water sprouts which consisted of famous gargoyles and chimeras.

 He laughed when Sara ran up to the side of one of the many column supports, kneeled down next to one of the columns and ran her hands over it while going, "It's huge," with wide blue eyes.  

 Both their eyes had lit up when they had seen the famous bell in the cathedral. It was huge and as gorgeous as the people who had seen it had said, but what enticed him wasn’t the bell, it was the rose window on top of the cathedral because it was the perfect example of the Gothic Rayonnant style which was something he had always wanted to see.

 Their first week traveling together also saw them visiting the Musee d O’rsay which was another one of Paris's most famous museums. It stood on the left bank of the Seine and housed French art that was dated all the way back to 1848.

They had more than 2,000 sculptures, paintings, and photographs but also furniture from the 19th-20th century which Len had been fascinated by. It wasn’t every day a person was able to see what kind of things people had used as furniture in the olden days. Len had also been fascinated by Edward Manet’s The Luncheon On The Grass and Gustav Courbet’s The Artist Studio. He loved the color schemes in the painting. French art was truly magnificent.

 The museum also housed Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait and his painting The Church at Auvers which Sara had spent almost an hour staring at. It was fascinating watching her get entranced by something as simple as a painting. He had smiled at her reaction fondly. This was like the time that he had taken her to a concert in Coast City, (her first ever concert outside of her home town) and she had spent the entire time thanking him for it on the way home.

 They stayed there for almost the entire day before they decided that they had seen everything that could be seen and trudged toward the exit of the museum.

 “Leonard,” she screamed at him in fury as she chased him around the outside of the Museum after he had accidentally, (maybe not so accidentally,) spilt the entire bottle of water he was holding on her as they left the museum.

“Oh shit.” He turned and realized he was trapped; they had ended up right in front of the Seine River. He saw a dangerous glint in her eyes and gulped before he felt himself being tackled to the ground. She took both of his hands as he flailed about trying to push her off of him.

 “Are you sorry?” Sara asked with a smug smile on her face.

 He nodded frantically before he accidentally nudged her and she fell on top of him, her lips a mere centimeter away from his. He saw her eyes widen before she struggled to get off of him and in an unexpected move her lips landed on his.

 For a moment Len felt Sara press her lips harder against his before she got off of him and they both stood up and dusted themselves off, he felt water hit him and saw Sara holding a bottle with water he assumed was from the river.

“Now we’re even,” she said as she walked off and he followed her with a scowl on his face.

 They visited other museums and churches like the Montmarte which housed the white-domed Basilica Of Sacre-Cour and nightclubs. It was also known for its past as the location of studios of artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, and Claude Monet.

They had even gone on to see the Arc De Triomphe which was a famous landmark in Paris that stood on the west of Champs Elysees at the center of Place Charles De Gaulle. The memory of her lips against his never left his mind during the entire week and he was eager for a repeat.

 The second and third week consisted of visiting other sites like the Sainte-Chappelle and the Jardin du Luxembourg. The Sainte-Chappelle was a gothic Chappelle with stained glass windows, according to the guide it was the place the king of France had lived in until the 14th century.

 They had spent almost an hour there taking in the view; it was a magnificent Chappell full of color. Everything glittered from the glass which surrounded it and its supporting frame of stone vaulting. Its architect, Pierre De Montreuil, had experimented with it by using glass instead of stone. The Chapelle was a work of art and had every single color covering it. Len had been impressed by it and personally agreed with others who had said that it was one of the most beautiful buildings ever created. They had stayed there well until it was dark finding peace and tranquility in the way the Chappelle's architect used color on the building, Sara had leaned her head against Len’s shoulder and they had just stared at the Chappelle in wonderment.

 The Jardin Du Luxembourg was a park located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It had a pool and an amazing view of the Pantheon, its garden was a marvel. He had seen one of Sara’s favorite flowers and when no one was looking sneakily picked almost ten of them before giving them to her, her smile was worth almost getting caught.

 There had been free performances there and a carousel that Sara insisted they ride, despite his insistence that the ride was only for kids. Sara had been like a child in the playground insisting that he push her on the swing despite the stares they were getting from the parents and some of the older kids.

 They had toured the entire park and ended up in the Orangerie where they saw displays of art, photography, and sculptures. He had marveled at the figures of French queens and illustrious women like Anne of Austria and Saint Genevieve standing on pedestals that were created by Louis-Phillipe.

 Their next stop had been the Odeon which was a theater that stood next to the garden. They had watched one of the shows and Len had had a hard time understanding what was happening, needing Sara, who spoke French, to translate what was going on for him. Sara had poked fun at him for not being able to understand what was going on and he had given her a scowl in return. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know how to speak French.

 They had returned to the park and spent the rest of the day there, choosing to have a picnic instead of going to an expensive restaurant to eat. They had laid a blanket on the ground and decided to wait for the sunset so that they could watch it. After they had gazed at the stars and while Sara explained to him which star was which all he had been able to do was stare at her.

 She was perfect, especially while trying to explain something to him. (He really was a sap if he found simple things like her explaining things to him romantic; Lisa would totally tease him for this.) The moonlight glittered against her hair and he reached for one of her hands and tangled it with one of his, stopping her mid-sentence. She had looked at him and smiled a smile so bright that it had taken up her whole face and he couldn’t help but smile back at her before he pulled her on top of him and kissed her on the forehead.

Their last week together came quickly. He knew that they had both been dreading it, especially having to separate again. She had been holding onto his hand the entire week and he couldn’t blame her. He had this feeling that if he let go of her for even one second she would disappear and he didn’t think that he would be able to handle that. He was still so in love with her and he was unable to fathom how he would be able to be without her again. The last week was spent seeing the Latin Quarter, the Pantheon, and their last stop which was the Eiffel Tower.

 The Latin Quarter was basically a mall. He followed her dutifully as she walked around and entered stores. He held bags and helped her choose which trinkets and gifts to buy for her family. He had complained earlier, before they had entered the mall, and all that had ended up happening was Sara using puppy dog eyes (no he was not a sucker for her puppy dog eyes, it was one time and it would never work again) and promising to reward him later for being good, which he scowled at, before quickly agreeing.

 The Pantheon was a building located in Latin Quarter. According to the book he had read during the trip there, it had been a church dedicated to St. Genevieve. It was an amazing and elegant place that housed burials of fallen heroes like Voltaire and Rousseau. Sara was in awe of everything from the columns to the statues of the fallen heroes. One of the guides had said that the model of the building was an example of neoclassicism, Sara, he noticed had spent the entirety of the trip listening to the guide in front of them. Her wonder and awe of the statues astounded him, she was like a child who was getting a new toy and it was adorable, especially the way that her eyes would light up when she learned new facts about the building or when she saw new statues like the statue of Voltaire near his crypt. He trudged after her as she proceeded to explore the building and tangled her hands with his as she raced through the halls of the monument.

Later, after they had left the Pantheon, she had kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for indulging her fascination with the building. After she had pulled away from him, his cheek tingled with the remembrance of her kiss and left him frozen before she had dragged him away to the car and they had driven towards one of the restaurants located in the Latin Quarter. She had told him that because he had indulged her she would let him choose where they were going to eat today. He had shaken his head at her and sighed before and choosing a place that he knew she would love.

 Lisa called him during the week and made sure that he was okay. She had told him excitedly of the places that Cisco had brought her to and her happiness was evident throughout the conversation. He hadn’t had time to see her or talk to his sister during his weeks with Sara, choosing instead to text her messages and updates about where he was. He hadn’t even told her that he was with Sara, knowing that she wouldn’t be happy with him.

Lisa had liked Sara when they were together, but when they had broken up she had developed anger towards the other woman; especially after seeing and being there for Len post break up.  Lisa was very protective of him (which he could understand seeing as he was the only family she had left) so she had been understandably livid to find out that he had been spending the week with Sara going as far as to warn him during the phone call of the dangers of spending time with Sara again.

When he had countered that everything was different this time because, as he had said, he wasn’t expecting anything from Sara, Lisa had told him that him being still in love with Sara was only going to lead to trouble. Especially since both of them had created separate lives and achieved their dreams away from each other. They had ended the phone call with Lisa warning him to be careful and reminding him that he had a life back home and that life wasn’t with Sara.

 He had sighed as he put the phone down. She was right, he and Sara had separate lives. And Even if she was still in love with him how was this even going to work and was this even the right time for them to restart their relationship? He didn't know what to do, but he knew he would have to figure it out.

After that day, a feeling of dread began to spread through him; it was their last day together and as they drove hand in hand to the location of the Eiffel Tower he couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten and for the breath to be knocked of his lungs. It was their last day together, tomorrow he would be meeting his sister so that they could catch a flight back to Central City and go back to their lives.

He knew from the way that she was gripping his hand that Sara was dreading it too. He didn’t know how to bring it up; they had spent the day strolling through the city hoping maybe that they could extend their time together but they both knew it was impossible.

 He loved her and she loved him but the way their lives had gone hadn’t been able to accommodate that. As the Eiffel Tower came into view, his chest began to tighten more and more and he gripped her hand tighter. He smiled as she dragged him to the top of the iconic structure and when they reached the top she dragged him to one of the windows. Paris was beautiful on top of the tower because you could see everything from the people walking home from work to the number of shops that were in Paris; from up here he could the lights and every single building in Paris.

 He banged his head on the window before he felt Sara’s hand grab his and turn him to face her.  

 “I love you,” he said softly as he gave her a sad smile.

 “I love you, too,” she replied with a smile on her face.

 “Come back to Central City with me?” he begged with tears in his eyes.

 As he asked the question all Sara did was smile at him sadly.

 “I can’t, you know I can’t,” she replied.

 “I know, I just had to try,” he replied sadly.

 “Maybe someday when everything in our lives is sorted out,” she said with tears in her eyes.

 “Maybe someday,” he echoed.

 Maybe someday they would see each other again and they would be able to be together without all the complications of jobs and their lives but all they could do for now was wrap their arms around each other and make the few remaining minutes they had in each other’s arms last.

 Early the next day, Len packed his bag to meet his sister at the airport. He couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, Sara would change her mind and decide to go with him. As soon as he entered the airport he felt someone engulf him in a tight hug and saw his sister’s long brown hair in his arms.

 "I missed you, Lenny," Lisa said with a smile. She looked happier than he had seen her in months; maybe Cisco really had been good for her.

 “Apparently not enough to abandon Cisco and travel with me," Len teased sarcastically with a small pout. His sister laughed and hugged him.

 “You know this doesn't mean you're out of trouble. We’re gonna have to talk about your chosen travel companion. You know that right?” Lisa asked him with a raised eyebrow.

 “Yeah yeah, whatever," Len said with a roll of his eyes, his sister huffed before dragging him through the door for Passport control.